Alternative high school redeems spiraling teen

MAYA BLACKMUN/THE OREGONIANJessica Wright, who just graduated from Sherwood High School, and Misha Feves, a fourth-grader at Archer Glen Elementary School, delight in the compliments they received from classmates the day before school let out.

SHERWOOD -- Jessica Wright, 18, walked across the stage earlier this month to get her diploma from Sherwood High School, kicked back with friends at grad night and is now busy getting furniture for her dorm room at Portland State University.

Only a year ago, she was crying daily, overcome with the reality that she had gone from a straight-A student to a dropout at risk of never graduating, part of a downward emotional spiral that left her lost and confused.

Wright's path to graduation took her to unexpected places, picking up insights along the way as she reinvented herself. Much of it she credits to the Sherwood School District's alternative education options.

Her school career started well enough.

At Archer Glen Elementary School, Wright excelled. At Sherwood Middle School, she had tough adjustment for a few months, but then thrived and was co-editor of the school's literary magazine.

She started her freshman year in advanced classes and played on the varsity soccer team. Then a relationship with a longtime boyfriend ended, and she couldn't handle the drama. She found herself at the center of a constant swirl of gossip -- and shouted comments from the back of the classroom.

Depression set in.

Teachers and counselors seemed powerless to help.

"I just felt like, 'Why can't I fit in?' " she said.

She struggled through her sophomore year, getting A's and B's even though she was often absent.

She did not return for her junior year. She tried Portland Community College, but felt increasingly awkward in her new world.

She shied away from friends, avoiding questions about how she was doing. In some ways the well-meaning concern made things tougher.

"In such a small town, my mom would come home and say, 'I heard this about you . . .' "

Wright withdrew further from her family, even as her parents searched and tried all kinds of support. She sought and received medical treatment for her depression.

She felt like a disappointment, far from her image as a star athlete and student.

"It was really hard not to be that anymore," she said. "That was something I had to learn."

Her world turned when she heard about the Field House, as students call the district's off-campus alternative education classroom. She called Matt Boring, an associate principal at the high school who oversees district alternative education programs. He assured her that she could earn the credits to graduate.

She started three weeks into the fall trimester of her senior year last October with just 16.5 credits, 7.5 short of what she told she needed to get a diploma. From the first day, she got a lot done, and it boosted her self-confidence. She blazed through online classes and realized she was an independent, self-motivated learner who did best when she could set her own fast pace.

She started dreaming of graduating with her class.

In February, she was back at Archer Glen Elementary, working as a teaching assistant to earn additional credits. By the end of the month, she had enough to meet state requirements for a diploma -- but not enough for a diploma from Sherwood High School. She needed four more credits for that.

She broke down, then buckled down. She went back online for more classes. One of her teachers started talking to her about filling out financial aid forms. Wright realized, "Oh, college is a possibility now."

She was done by mid-May, having completed courses in her core subjects, in addition to physics, social studies, art history, New World history and consumer business mathematics. Wright continued her work at the elementary school through the end of the school year. She felt pride in the students as they improved.

Without the twists in her life, she said happily, "I wouldn't have been in this classroom."

She is deep into planning for her freshmen year of college, considering a major in family human services.

"I just want to help people," she said, "I just don't know where yet."